California-based artist Lauren Ryan skillfully constructs life-like animal sculptures using nothing more than pipe cleaners (also known as chenille stems). The bent, curled, and woven into one another to produce these remarkable figurative structures. The fuzzy materials also add to the believable texture of each creature, mimicking the respective animal's fur.

The sculptor's subjects range from a lone wolf and an exotic okapi to a nearly extinct thylacine and the fictional spirit creature known as Okami Amaterasu. Constantly improving on her technique and trying to stray from using additional materials. Ryan says, "I never use glue (to me that is like cheating), and only occasionally use scissors." In addition to honing her craft, the self-proclaimed animal lover seeks to represent some of her favorite members of the animal kingdom who are lesser known creatures.